Page 27 of Utterly Dauntless

"And what about the very lively one ye've left with us?"

"She's hardly a ghost. And don't you dare go tossin' her off some roof, will ye?"

"Ye're mad."

"Listen, my friend. She has no more need of a protector. You or me. Yer Wren needs ye now. Yer weans and yer farm need ye back. But I'm grateful ye answered the call."

Another pause. "About these ghosties. Ye're talkin' in riddles, man."

"Aye, well. That's all I've got at the moment."

"When will ye be back?"

Grey watched a flock of birds wheel across the sky. "I dinnae ken if I will be." That was what a leap of faith was all about—the not knowing.

"But—"

"Let her go, Shug." He exhaled carefully. "I have."

He ended the call and turned off his phone. Let them think what they would.

The entire world stretched out before him. He could go anywhere, do anything. The thought should have terrified him—a man out of time, with only a few years of modern life under his belt. But something stirred in his chest, something he hadn't felt since that day on Culloden Moor while he waited for the order to charge.

An invitation to adventure?

Maybe that's what he needed. Maybe that's what would finally help him put all his ghosts to rest—the ghost of the warrior he'd been, the ghost of the man who'd loved Aries Muir Strachan with everything he had, the ghost of the life they might have shared.

The train rounded a bend and the sun broke through the clouds, painting the hills in gold. Grey settled back in his seat and let the rhythm of the rails carry him forward.

Into whatever came next.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The car pulled up to Gran's cottage just as the afternoon sun broke through the clouds over Inverness. Aries hadn't spoken much on the plane, and the men hadn't pushed her. Maybe they sensed her raw edges after waking up alone. Maybe they just didn't know what to say to a woman who'd driven away the best man she could ever find.

While she climbed out of the car, Wyndham carried her bags to the door. She felt like her shoes were made of lead and moved slower than usual. The events of the past few days—her kidnapping, the trip to Glasgow, the pool, the kiss, and the goodbye—had drained her completely.

Wyndham dropped a kiss on Gran's cheek, then turned and did the same to her. "Ye have all our numbers. Call if ye need anythin'." His eyes held hers. "Anythin' at all."

She nodded, touched by the loyalty of a bunch of men who never judged her harshly, despite the fact that she'd been tormenting one of their own for so long.

The cars drove away and Gran ushered her inside. The smell of coal and peat suggested the old woman's fire had been working overtime, and Aries was glad for the embrace of a warm familiar house.

"Sit," Gran ordered. "I'll fix us something to eat."

"I can help?—"

"Ye can barely stand. Rest."

Aries sank onto a kitchen chair and let out a long breath.

"How long do I have ye for this time?"

"I don't know. Grey is done with me, so..."

That got her attention. "Done with ye? Did he say as much?"

"He did. Just before he...up and left. Packed a bag. Said he won't be back to Inverness. Said...I could have the house."

---